The Coming Storm
by austyng123
Summary: Lyle Avery always thought his life couldn't get anymore interesting. What he didn't account for was enrolling in Beacon Academy and being caught in the middle of a war on three fronts. Grimm, Politics and Criminal Organizations. Lyle will need to be careful as he faces these new threats but he may just be able to face them with his new friends by his side.
1. Lyle Avery

Lyle Avery seemed to be a magnet of bad situations, at least that's what he always thought. First, he had almost missed his plane to Vale and then he was stuck next to a fat guy on the dustplane. However, what he was seeing right now was the cherry that topped of the cake that was his day. He stood from where his plane had crashed in the middle of Vale only to see the city was infested by Grimm. He took several moments to process what he was seeing before he decided this was quite possibly the worst day of his life. Only then did he see several groups of kids his age running around fighting the monsters back to where they came from. As he was watching the hunters to be fight off the threat he caught the slight sound of movement sneaking up from behind him. He quickly unsheathed the golden twelve inch daggers, respectfully named Shock and Awe, from their sheathes on his wrists. He rolled forward just in time to avoid the powerful jaws of what had to be the biggest Beowulf he had seen in his life. Once he had determined his daggers would not be able to take down the Grimm on their own, he unfolded the daggers and clicked them into their combination katana form that he lovingly called Volt, A fitting name considering his semblance, he mused. He quickly channeled his semblance through the nerves of his body and shot towards the Beowulf like a flash of lightning. Three swift strikes left the Beowulf without its arms and head.

He turned to observe the fighting and saw a Taijitu sneaking up on a rabbit faunus. He quickly clicked a button on the hilt of his sword and watched as it transformed into a rifle, called Charge. Granted it was most useful against human adversaries from a distance, it could be used to equal effect if the shot was placed well enough on a Grimm. He took aim and released a lightning charged shot that went straight through the white head of the monster. The electricity stunned the black head just long enough for him to yell his warning to the rabbit eared girl.

"Hey Bunny Girl watch behind you!"

She spun around and quickly took a collapsible bow from her bow and shot an arrow through the roof of its mouth as it charged back at her ready to strike. Almost instantly the snake-like creature fell to the ground limp and lifeless. She flashed him a smile, which he found dazzling, before she took off back into the fray. He disassembled his rifle back into daggers and took off after her into the crowd. However, before he could find her, he was surrounded by four Creeps. As they snarled at their prey he simply smirked. He had always loved the thrill of battle. Two Creeps lunged at him while he ducked and slashed which caused their intestines to spill out onto the pavement. The other two approached more carefully and began to circle him. The first of the Creeps launched itself at him and swiftly had a dagger lodged in its throat. He sensed the next Creep launch at him and twirled the recently impaled monster to intercept the attack. As the monster fell back he channeled electricity though his dagger and threw it through the Creep's eye socket.

He called his dagger back to his hand, 'Man electricity is useful', and continued his search for the bunny girl. Once he found her he watched as she dispatched of an Ursa and then he decided to approach the girl. She saw him advance toward her and greeted him with a smile.

"Thanks for the save back there, I would have been a goner. My name is Velvet by the way." She spoke with a slight giggle in her voice and a melodic accent that he had never heard before.

"All in a day's work. My name's Ly- ", He started before he heard a loud growl that could only belong to an Ursa coming from behind him.

He clicked yet another button on the sides of his daggers and they turned into twin pistols by the names Stun and Order. He spun on his heel and fired two rounds into the cranium of the beast.

"We really have to stop meeting like this," He said as he turned to face Velvet, "My name is Lyle Avery, but my friends call me Sharp. Well there was a guy that once called me Lupin Devil but I don't really like that one"

At this point he flashed her a smile that showed two pointed incisor teeth. Velvet seemed taken aback by the fact that He was a faunus. She also covered her face with her ears as a slow blush crept up to her face. He smiled triumphantly at that. He had always thought of himself as charming. He didn't really blame her considering how easy it could be to hide his heritage. He was once even mistaken for a vampire by a local in a small village in Minstral. He had been peeved for weeks after that incident.

"P-pleased to meet you. You're very good with your weapon." She said once she had gained control of herself once again.

"I'd sure hope so. I've had this baby with me as long as I can remember. You gotta know how to protect yourself when you grow up outside of the kingdom. You're not too shabby yourself with that bow of yours." He said with a wink.

"Th-thank you I've always wanted to be a huntress." She replied as her face turned slightly pink.

Before they could continue their conversation he saw a girl with a beret and sunglasses call Velvet over to her. 'Damn I didn't even get her phone number' He thought wistfully to himself until he was startled by a voice directly over his shoulder.

"You really are an interesting one aren't you?"

He turned around to see a bespectacled man with grey hair and a cup of coffee in his hand.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Ah yes, my name is Ozpin. You seem to have a very advanced set of skills."

"A pleasure. So I've been told." He said with a chuckle, "I'm sorry but is there something you wanted because I should really check into my hot-" He faded off as he saw the sign of the hotel he was supposed to be staying at lying next to a demolished building. "Well shit."

"I would be willing to provide you lodging if you were to provide me with some of your time." Ozpin stated as he took a sip of his coffee. "It would not take long I assure you."

"Well what do I have to lose? Let's be on our way then."

So Lyle found himself in the office of the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. He had been quite surprised when he arrived at the school. Honestly he wondered why he was ever surprised anymore. Things seemed to happen around him all the time.

"So, tell me Lyle. Where did you obtain your particular skill set?" Ozpin said as he gazed at him with his ever piercing eyes.

"Well at first I was trained by my parents until my semblance manifested. They're world renowned hunters. Well at least they were last I saw them. Then, well, they left me. They thought that I was too dangerous and they left me in the woods. Granted I couldn't control my semblance at the time and I was almost always sparking. I didn't think that I would make it out alive. I don't think I would have if I hadn't been found by Lynn and Thomas. They took me in and taught me the ways of the gun and sword. I owe what I am today to those two."

"That is… Interesting. Let me cut to the chase here as I do not have a lot of time on my hands at the moment. I would like to offer you a spot at my academy. You would work as single cell unit that would provide backup to various teams in the school. Oh and before you make up your mind may I also inform you that one Miss Velvet Scarlatina also attends this academy."

Lyle thought the offer though in his head. He had no plans on what he currently wanted to do. Also it had been a long time since he had stayed in the same place for an extended period of time. Velvet attending the school would really just be an added bonus.

"Alright Headmaster. I accept your offer. I mean really, what have I got to lose?" He said with a smirk.

Once Lyle had arrived at his dorm room he was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. The room was by far big enough to house two people. The bed was king sized and had curtains hanging around the frame. When he looked into the closet he found it had adequate space to house all of his luggage. As he continued to search his room he found a desk that was compatible with his school issued scroll. It would allow him to connect the two and use the desktop as a screen and also allowed the desk to project holograms. He also noticed that one wall of the room was covered in a bookcase that was filled with books of several different subjects. Once he made it into the bathroom he undressed and looked at himself in the mirror.

He had always been proud of the way he looked. He had short wavy black hair, except for the small streak of grey in his bangs, and a striking eyes that were some shade of gold. He had a strong cheekbones and usually wore a endearing smirk on his face. He had always been well built due to his training. He wasn't overly muscular but he had an athletic build that went along with his lithe frame. However, his right arm was always the most interesting feature of his body. He had told Ozpin that Lynn and Thomas had saved him in the forest all those years ago. However, how true that was he had never stated. When Lynn and Thomas had found him in the forest he had had his arm bitten off by an Ursa. Thankfully Thomas was a skilled medic and was able to save him after the attack. Lynn being an outstanding blacksmith had made him a metal arm out of what she had called Auto-mail. For all intents and purposes it was just as good as a regular arm or even better. He had even learned how to channel his Aura through it.

Once his was done in the bathroom he donned his usual outfit that consisted of a button up white long sleeve shirt and a black vest that went over it. He also wore a pair of black jeans and combat boots. To top it all off he put on a black glove on his right hand that covered his metal appendage. He could wear this outfit for both relaxation and combat due to the fact that the material was bulletproof even though it might not look it.

Once he was finished dressing he was alerted that someone was at the door when he heard a knock. Once he made his way to the door he was surprised to find Velvet on the other side. He noticed that she seemed equally as surprised.

"Lyle? Ozpin informed me of a new student at the school but he didn't mention that it was you."

"Yeah I just got here. Don't be a stranger. Come on in." He said as he admitted her entrance to her room.

She whistled as she entered, "This is a nice place you have here. I didn't know Beacon had any single rooms."

"Yeah I like it so far. Not to sound rude but was there a reason you were sent here?"

"Oh yes it nearly slipped my mind. Ozpin wanted me to give you a tour and lead you to an arena for an evaluation match."

"Okay that sounds great. Let's get to it shall we."

As Velvet showed him around the school they walked in companionable silence that was interrupted by short bits of small talk. Once he entered the arena he found Ozpin standing in the center of the stadium.

"For your evaluation match I will have you face a professor of our school. She should be here in a few minutes."

Lyle pondered who he might face as he waited. He had heard of an impressive huntress that made a name for herself who was second in command at Beacon named Glynda Goodwitch. He was not prepared for who walked through the door. When he saw her he saw a brief haze of fury but forced it down and assumed a state of stony calm.

"This is quite… Interesting." He said as he saw Ozpin had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Mr. Avery you will be facing Miss Merrissa Stark in your match today."

"Oh believe me professor, I know exactly who I'm facing. Although, I haven't seen her in twelve years and I was hoping I wouldn't have to again."

Merrissa looked confused for a moment before she seemed to understand who he was. She looked absolutely stricken when she put the pieces together.

"L-lyle is that really you? Are you really my son?"

"No I'm not your son. You lost that right when you abandoned me in that fucking forest. That's enough talk. Let's dance."

Lyle pulled out his daggers and charged at Marrissa. She seemed taken aback for a moment before she pulled out her sword. He came at her in a whirlwind of strikes that left several cuts and scratched on her arms where she failed to block before he relented. He changed his weapon into his katana and came at her again.

"Let me talk Lyle!" Marrissa yelled in frustration.

"You had your chance now fight me."

As they met in the middle of the arena they exchanged a flurry of slashes that ended in a stalemate each time. Marrissa grew more and more frustrated when she could not subdue her son. She had no idea where he had gotten so good with using a sword. As she feinted and came down with a slash that was imbued with dust she screamed at him.

"Why won't you just let me talk!?"

Once he saw that he had no time to block with his sword he brought up his right arm. When the blade made contact his sleeve was blown to pieces revealing his arm. He then grabbed her sword with his left hand and twisted it out of her grasp. He continued with a kick to the stomach. Within a few seconds he was standing over her with Order pointed at her head and a foot on her chest.

"Because you lost me my fucking arm! Now I'm tired and angry so I'm leaving. Don't try and follow me if you know what's good for you."

He then proceeded to leave the arena and head back to his dorm. He figured that he probably could have handled that better. However, He was just so mad. Where did she get off calling him her son? She had abandoned him? He was only five years old for Christ's sake! As he continued walking he heard footsteps behind him. He pulled out his dagger, spun, and placed it at his pursuer's throat. Only then did he register that his pursuer was Velvet.

"I-I'm sorry. Just please leave. I need some time."

He turned to his door and once he made it inside he heard the door shut behind him. When he turned around he was surprised to see that Velvet had entered the room with him. He silently walked over to the bed and sat on the edge closely followed by Velvet.

"What happened back there?" She said gently. After a long stretch of silence Lyle replied.

"That was my mom. I haven't seen her in twelve years. She left me for dead in the woods and I lost my arm because of it. I had thought I was over it but seeing her here just makes me so angry." He said as he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

Velvet moved closer to Lyle and embraced him in a comforting hug. That was all it took until Lyle broke down and cried into Velvet's shoulder. Eventually they laid together on the bed still snuggled together in the hug as Lyle continually murmured the same word over and over again into her shoulder. "Why?"


	2. Confrontation

Lyle woke up the next morning feeling the most refreshed he had been in a long time. As he slowly began to stretch out he felt a warm sensation to his side. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by the sight of Velvet. At that moment he thought she may be the cutest girl he had ever seen. She was out like a rock with her ears were drooped and her face had an expression of serene calm. Lyle decided he did not want to disrupt the girl's sleep and stayed still until she slowly started to stir. Velvet slowly opened her eyes and was met with the smiling face of Lyle. Her first thought was that she wouldn't mind waking up like this. Her second thought however, was sheer and utter embarrassment. She rocketed out of the bed than Lyle had thought was physically possible even for him.

"My my, aren't you a forward one?" Lyle remarked with a cocky smirk

"S-shut up!" Velvet yelled with a rapidly reddening face

"Anyway, I really am thankful you were here last night. You really didn't have to be."

"Y-you're welcome. I couldn't just leave you by yourself. That seemed like it was hard on you so I wanted to help you."

"Anyway I need a way to repay you. You helped me so now I want to do something for you. Think of it as an IOU."  
"O-okay. Anyway we need to get to class. We only have ten minutes."

Once he had gotten dressed he walked with Velvet to their first class which just so happened to be Sparring. There he followed Velvet over to her team and sat next to her. The girl in the beret from yesterday was the first person to speak.

"Ooooo Velvet who do we have here. Your boyfriend perhaps?"

"I-it's nothing like that Coco! He's a new student that Ozpin asked me to show around." She said while once again blushing.

"Damn, and I thought you had finally gotten some action."

Before Velvet was able to reply Glynda started to launch into her lecture. "As hunters and huntresses you will not only have to face Grimm but you will need to fight other humans. That being said we will begin our first match today. Velvet Scarlatina and Cardin Winchester please make your way to the stage."

Lyle looked over at Velvet and saw she had an evil smile on her face. Damn that brought a chill down his spine. He reminded himself to never get on this girl's bad side. Once the match had started he thought it looked like amateur hour out there. She was absolutely dominating the boy on the field. The match was over almost as fast as it had started. When Velvet was walking away the boy got up looking absolutely murderous. He brought his arm back with his mace like he was about to throw it. Lyle almost instinctively charged electricity through his neurons and with a flash he was in front of the boy with a Shock pressed right next to his jugular. Lyle snarled at the boy and bared his teeth.

"Touch her and I'll gut you like a pig you coward. She's under my protection. I would advise you not to mess with a wolf's territory. You mess with her and it'll be the last thing you do."

Once the boy had scrambled back to his seat Glynda saw fit to intervene.

"Excellent match Miss Scarlatina. Now Mr. Avery since you saw fit to disrupt my class, why don't you stay in the ring for a match. Miss Rose would you kindly enter the ring."

In a whirlwind of petals a girl in a red dress appeared at the opposite end of the arena.

"Hi my name's Ruby. Nice to meetcha." The girl said with a smile. She may have been the most innocent looking girl he had ever seen. That is until she unfolded a massive scythe from behind her back.

"Well then. That was awesome. Let's get this show on the road shall we."

Immediately once Glynda gave the signal for the match to start, Ruby came at him in a blur of rose petals. He only just had time to bring up Jolt to block her sweeping strikes. He decided that he would need to be able to match her speed through his semblance if he wanted a chance at winning. The two met in the middle of the arena and exchanged a flurry of strikes that were unable to be followed by the spectators in the audience. They jumped apart only to once again meet in an exchange of strikes. Lyle was able to land a solid hit to the girl's side but was sent flying by a hit from the blunt end of her scythe. They were both sent into the walls at the end of the arena. Almost instantly the two kicked off of the wall and met in the air. Lyle parried one of the girl's strikes and grabbed the front of her dress with his right hand. He whipped the girl to the ground and as she made impact she made a crater and coughed out some blood. Lyle decided that he needed to end this before it got to out of hand. He changed his weapon into Shock and Awe and threw them to pin the girl to the floor by the fabric of her shirt. As he made his way to help Ruby off of the floor he saw a yellow blur come from the corner of his eye.

When he turned he was able to see a girl with red eyes and hair that seemed to be on fire coming towards him. Without his weapon he was only able to block her punch with his right arm. The impact created a tremendous shockwave but his arm did not budge. However, his sleeve and glove were incinerated in the blast.

"Man that's the second shirt that's been ruined in the last day. I need to stock upon some new ones."

The girl was only able to gawk at Lyle's metal arm for a few seconds before she once again became enraged. She was then joined by a girl in white and another girl in black who both had their weapon's pointed at him. He raised his arms in a sign of surrender.

"You hurt my sister you bastard!"

"Woah calm down. She'll be fine. I made sure to keep from doing any severe damage!"

Then Lyle saw Ruby dislodge his daggers from her cloak and make her way over to him.

"That. Was. Awesome! How did you move that fast?! I've never gotten to have a high speed battle like that before. It was thrilling amazing!"

"I just used my semblance of Electrical Manipulation and used it to speed up my neuron firing speed. That way I was able to move faster. I got the idea from a comic actually. I believe it was called The Flash."

After a few more questions, Ruby seemed to notice that her team was staring Lyle down with glares.

"Guys I'm fine. It was only a match. Lyle I would like to introduce you to Yang, my sister, Weiss, my partner, and Blake, my sister's partner, and we make up the amazing Team RWBY!" She said as she pointed to each person respectively.

When the glares didn't die down he felt someone put their hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that it was Velvet that had approached him. He smiled gratefully towards the faunus girl and flashed her an appreciative smile. Velvet then turned to Team RWBY and began gaining control of the situation. As she was talking, Lyle noticed that Blake's bow twitched. He thought that might be quite an interesting bit of information. He shot Blake a smile that showed his fangs and she looked she had been slapped. Eventually once they had settled down he was left with just Violet.

"Looks like I owe you once again. You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

"Don't mention it. You did save me from Cardin after my match." She replied with a shy smile.

"No none of that. How about I take you into the city after school is out and take you to dinner? What do ya say? It'll be a blast."

"I-I guess that would be fine. You should probably get to your next class though. I'll see you after school."

"Great! It's a date." He said with a wink.

"A d-date!" She stuttered out while turning remarkably red.

"Of course! Well at least if that's fine with you that is."

"I-I guess it could be f-fun."

"Great then I'll see you after school."

Lyle walked into his Aura Studies class feeling as if he was on top of the world. Not only did he make a few new friends but he was also able to score a date with Velvet. He seemed to be having remarkably good luck today which was exactly why he had such a bad stroke of luck when he walked into the classroom.

There at the front of the class was Merrissa Stark. What unholy entity hated him so much he had no idea. He sat as far to the back as he could in the hopes of avoiding his long estranged parent. He sank further into his seat as she began to lecture the class.

"Aura is our most important tools as a hunters in this Grimm infested world. It can simultaneously be our sword and our shield. It is the manifestation of one's soul. That is why our semblances seem to match us so well. It is literally the ability that is hidden within our souls. I have done extensive research in Aura and Semblance control. As I am the leading expert on these subjects I will be teaching you to manipulate your Aura to your will and to control your semblance."

At the last sentence Lyle was unable to hold in his snort. Merrissa scanned the room for the source of the noise and her eyes landed on her son. Her eyes widened for a moment before she spoke.

"What may I ask is so funny Mr. Stark?"

"Firstly it's Mr. Avery to you. Secondly, what makes you know anything about semblance control when you couldn't even control mine?"

"Lightning manipulation is a very rare semblance. It was a very rare case that I could not get under control. I'm sorry for what I did but I hope that you will keep that from interfering with my class."

"That's great and all but my Semblance is not Lighting manipulation."

"Do not lie to me Lyle. I know what your Semblance is. I was there when it manifested."

"Had you stayed to watch over me you would know that it is not. My semblance is Electrical Manipulation. It may not sound largely different but it is by far not the same thing."

"Oh really. How is that may I ask?"

"Certainly. Electrical currents are in the air all around us. I can attract metal objects through the act of magnetism. I can also speed up the electrical flow of my body's neurons. I can also create electrical barriers in the world around me. I can also manipulate existing electrical energy such as the lights of this classroom. Finally, I can control lighting." He finished as he ran electricity through his hands that created sparks that passed through his metal fingertips. "Do not presume that you know anything about Me." With that he sat back down in his seat and left his mother to ponder his words. He did not expect what she said next however.

"Mr. Avery I would like you to stay after class for a talk."

So Lyle did just that. He walked up to the desk at the end of the period and greeted his mother. She however wanted them to talk in her office so he obliged.

"Look I'm sorry for what happened and I wish I could take it back every day of my life."

"That's just it isn't it. You can't take it back no matter how hard you try. You and dad left me to die out in that forest. If it hadn't been for Lynn and Thomas I would have lost a lot more than an arm out in that god forsaken wasteland. Where is dear old dad anyway? Waiting to finish the job is he?"

"Lyle, your dad is dead." Merrissa said as she chocked back a sob.

"Is that so? I'm sure most children would be heartbroken to hear their dad was dead. I refuse to mourn him though. He was probably happy that he left me to die. Thought he had gotten rid of a burden I bet."

Lyle had always admired his dad when he was a child. He had always wanted to impress his father through his training. He had always thought that he was everything that a hunter needed to be. Kind yet strong. Caring yet cunning. However, that image had been shattered the day that his parents had turned their backs on him. He had decided at that moment that he would be the one to truly embody these traits.

"Don't say that Lyle! Your father was devastated when we left you behind. He wouldn't stop mourning for weeks."

"THAT MAKES NO SENSE! Why would he leave in the first place if he truly loved me? No he was a vile man who abandoned his own child."

"We left for your own good Lyle! We needed to make sure that our enemies would never get to you. The only way we could make that happen was if we left you behind and people didn't know you existed. We wanted to keep you safe!" She pleaded as her eyes filled with tears.

"You could have protected me! You could have trained me to protect myself but you didn't! You left because you were scared of my semblance and what I might become someday. I loved you and you left me for dead! How do you think that made me feel? I was a boy who just wanted my parents. Now if we are done I would very much like to get going. I have a meeting to keep." With that Lyle left the office and headed back to his room to change for his date with Velvet.

_Hey guys thanks for reading my story so far. I was excited to get my first fiction out there to you guys so please leave reviews. Suggestions to make it better are always appreciated. Until next chapter, Austyn out!


	3. The Room

When Lyle got back to his room he was surprised to see that Velvet was standing in front of his door waiting for him. She was quite possibly the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She was wearing a green sundress that complimented her eyes perfectly. He was only aware that he was staring at her when he noticed that her face had begun to heat up.

"I just need to get changed and we can be off okay? You can come in if you want to."

He entered the bathroom and began changing his clothes into a black polo and grey slacks with a pair of black dress shoes. When he emerged from the bathroom he found he found Velvet looking through the books on his wall. He went over to his desk and used the 3D printer to create an extra key to his room. He walked over to Velvet, turned her towards him and placed the key into her hand.

"If you ever want to browse the books feel free to stop by whenever you want to."

"Are you sure? I mean we just met. Do you really want to give me this key?"

"Call it a hunch but I think I can trust you not to screw up the place to bad."

Before he knew what was happening Velvet embraced Lyle into a hug. He gladly returned the hug and they lingered in the embrace for quite some time before they broke apart.

"What was that for Velv?"

She turned remarkably red at the use of her new nickname before she answered, "Not many people seem to trust me with things. I guess I was just excited. Should we get going?"

* * *

The flight into Vale was passed with small talk where they exchanged small tidbits of information about themselves and small stories from their childhood. Once they got into the city they decided that they should stop and get a bite to eat at a local café named Dust-O-Latte. They strode to small booth in the back of the café and ordered their food when the waitress came by.

"So Velvet, what made you decide that you wanted to be a huntress? I mean it really isn't a profession that suits everyone."

"Well I guess I was just sick of seeing the way the world is run. There is so much discrimination and pain in this world and I just wanted to be able to make a change for the better. My parents were shocked when they heard that I was going to signal. I'm the first person in my family to become a huntress."

They were interrupted when the waitress came back and handed them their sundaes. He was distracted for a moment when Velvet pointed to something in the middle of the street. However, when he turned to look there was nothing there. Once he turned back to Velvet he found that a large bite of his sundae was gone and Velvet was whistling innocently.

"You really are quite the cunning little devil aren't you?" He said as he took some of his ice cream and smeared it on her nose. He was rewarded with a cute pout that would be hard to match by anyone else. She quickly recovered with a quip of her own.

"You gotta keep your eye on the prize if you want to keep it."

Lyle and Velvet left the shop and walked to nearby park that was known for its great view of the lake. When the two made it to the lake shore they sat down and enjoyed a comfortable silence. Eventually Velvet was the first one to break the silence.

"You know I had a really nice time tonight. I haven't had this much fun in a while. My team is great and all but sometimes you just need to get away. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah I could see how staying with the same people day in and day out would get tiresome eventually. I had a nice time with you too. I hope you don't mind if we do this again."

"Yeah I think I'd like that. I really should be getting back to Beacon now though. My team said they wanted to get in a good training session before our sparring class tomorrow. I'll see you later alright." Velvet turned away and began to walk back towards the dustplane station.

* * *

He decided that he would stay in town for a while longer as he had not had much of a chance to enjoy the sights before he was taken to Beacon. As he watched he thought back to the date that he had with Velvet and decided that he had certainly had worse dates. He remembered a time when a girl had discovered he was a faunus and had a smoothie thrown in his face. While he was further contemplating what further dates may bring he noticed a suspicious man enter into an abandoned warehouse. Thinking he would probably hate himself for following later, he scaled the side of the building and breached the window so he could follow the man. On the inside of the building were several rows of empty tubes.

As he continued down the isle of empty tubes he came upon a door that was marked in red letters that read "Project Cross-Breed Containment Facility: Authorized Personnel Only". He really hated when he was right about things. No matter what they always seemed to come back and bite him in the ass. He slowly cracked the door open and slid inside in case someone else was in there. He snuck through more isles of tubes until he came upon one that had a body that was suspended in stasis. The figure in the tube looked vaguely human but there were also many things that made it obvious that it was not. The hands of the figure were extended in long grotesque nails and the face of the figure was covered in a red and white bone mask. He was unable to examine the figure any longer as he heard the sound of shuffling feet moving closer to him. He quickly slunk into the shadows where he remained unseen by the two people rounded the corner. One man had short brown hair and a clouded aspect of his eyes that suggested he was blind. He wore a long white lab coat and seemed to also be carrying a clipboard in his arms. The other man was what really put a chill down his back though. He wore a white suit with white dress pants and black shoes. His face had a long scar that went through one of his eyes and he had a face that seemed grizzled and dangerous.

"Have the subjects been safely transported to their designated areas, Heeth?" The man in the suit said in a deep baritone voice.

"Yes, Yes of course they have Commander Gallaway. My babies are being transported aaaaalll around the world as we speak. Oh I can't wait to introduce them to the world. I bet it will be… refreshing." The man in the lab coat spoke in a sing song voice that suggested he was probably at least a little off his rocker.

"We cannot afford a mistake here. The half breeds need to be kept a secret until the time is right."

"Oh please we have this totally under control. Also, please refrain from using such a nasty term for my babies. I prefer the term Jackals. It's a miracle. Never would I have thought Humans and Grimm could fuse so flawlessly. It's Woooonderful."

Lyle was absolutely terrified. If what he thought was going on was correct, he had just stumbled upon something much bigger than himself. If they had been able to truly fuse Humans and Grimm then there would be trouble. They would have all of a human's intelligence without any morals. That was truly a dangerous combination. Not only were they making Grimm Humans but it seemed the government was involved also.

At that point Lyle knew he needed to get out of there fast. He knew that if he stayed there any longer his chances for escape would diminish greatly. First however, he needed to be sure that the monstrosity in that tube never saw the light of day. With that in mind he readied his rifle and lined the sight up with its head. Once he pulled the trigger he began to book it out of the warehouse as fast as he could. He exited the warehouse while faintly hearing the yells of the two men behind him. He didn't stop running until he had made it back to the station and was safely loaded onto the dustplane.

Lyle had no idea what he should do with the information he had just overheard. He couldn't take it to the authorities because they may have been coerced by the government. He also couldn't take the problem to Beacon for fear of the same thing. The only person he could consider telling was Velvet. That would be extremely unfair to her though. This wasn't a fight that she should have to deal with. He figured that for now he would have to carry on with school and try to investigate in his free time.

What really scared him though was whether they had seen him or not. He was not naïve enough to believe that a top secret government facility would not have cameras. If those cameras had seen his face they would almost surely be able to identify him. If that were to happen he was sure that he would be taken out for the secrecy of the project. He decided that he would just have to be aware of what was going on around him. There was nothing that he would be able to do about it now.

* * *

Once he had made it to his dorm he did what he always did to relax. He pulled out his Gibson Les Paul guitar and began strumming the tune to Otherside by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He had received the guitar from Thomas as a going away present. The guitar was a pure white with his name printed in a deep violet on the body. It also came with a setting that switched it from acoustic to electric. He had started playing guitar not to long after he had gotten his metallic arm. Thomas had insisted he learn as a way to release emotions. Lyle had found that he took an immediate liking to the instrument. He had loved the sound of it almost immediately. Surprisingly Lyle had discovered that he was a very good singer also. He seemed to discover that he had a great many talents when he grew up. He assumed it was to make up for his god awful luck.

Once he had finally calmed down he decided that he needed to look around and see what he could find out about whoever Gallaway and Heeth were. He ambled over to his desk and attached his scroll. When he searched their names in the Dustnet he found several interesting facts. He discovered that Gallaway had worked to clear away most of the faunus uprisings that had happened over the years. He was a merciless and brutal bastard who killed with no regard for innocent or guilty. Sadly, it seemed that it wasn't a very rare trait for officials these days. Heeth on the other hand had far more interesting things in his past. He was a very successful specialist on dust and its interaction with modern technologies. Many weapons that used dust were designed by him. He also had an unverified background of testing his more controversial experiments on faunus prisoners.

If what Lyle believed was going on was correct then he prayed he could stop what was happening in time. It looked as if they planned on using the Jackals against the faunus in their uprisings. If that were to happen it would erupt in nothing less than the Second Great War. Most of the Human and Faunus population was annihilated during the first war, he doubted that any would survive a second.

He went over to the bookshelf and began looking for anything that he could find that would tell him about dust and its applications on humans. Eventually he came upon a book simply called "Secrets". Once he began to pull the book from the shelf he heard a click that resounded from the floor panel beneath his feet. When he looked down he noticed that the panel was raised from the floor by a hair. He bent over and lifted the panel to be met by a metal ladder that descended into darkness. Lyle began following the ladder until he reached a point where his feet touched the floor.

He turned around and was greeted by a dimly lit study. He pulled out his weapon just to be safe if something was down here. He went over to the desk and noticed a tattered journal and a white dust crystal on the desk. He picked up the crystal and opened the book to the first page and discovered a diagram that displayed a sword that was being held by a man with a white dust crystal in his other hand. In the next diagram, it showed the same man without the sword but with a tattoo of a sword on his wrist. There was an inscription in a language that he had never seen before written below the picture.

"Sit nobis sicut dominus et servu fact est coniungi. Hmm that's we-" Before he was able to finish his sentence there was a bright flash of light followed by a searing pain in his wrists. As he looked down he saw a picture of daggers on his wrists.

"No way! Are those my weapons?"

As soon as he thought about his daggers they appeared in his hands and the tattoos disappeared. As soon as he thought of putting them away again the weapons disappeared and the tattoos reappeared. Then as he thought of the other forms of his weapon he found that the tattoo changed to look like that version. He figured that it would be an extremely useful trick for the future. He took a quick look around the room and saw there was nothing much else of interest. He grabbed the journal and made his way back up to his room. He safely stowed it under his mattress and laid down in bed to go to sleep.

* * *

When Lyle awoke the next morning he noticed that his scroll was blinking on his headstand. Once he walked over to check the scroll he discovered that he had a message that said he was to report to Ozpin's office before classes started up for the day. Once he reached the Headmaster's office he was immediately let in by the assistant outside the door.

"Welcome Mr. Avery. I called you here today so that I could inform you that you will be assisting team RWBY in a Grimm extermination near the middle ruins of Forever Fall forest. You will depart immediately once classes have concluded for the day. That will be all. You may leave." As soon as he began to leave, he heard Ozpin once again speak up. "Oh and one last thing Mr. Avery. Try not to antagonize my teachers to much even considering your relationships. It can be quite… distracting."

* * *

**Hey guys thanks for reading the new chapter. Sorry it took a little while to get out. I've been pretty busy lately. Remember reviews are appreciated as is advice on how to make my story better. That's about all I have to say. Austyn out.**


	4. Awakening

Lyle entered Aura Studies class knowing that he already wouldn't like being there. He dreaded facing his mother at any time and couldn't imagine what it would be like to spend the next few years under her tutelage. He figured that he must have had this special hell reserved for him in retribution for the awful pranks he often played on Lynn and Thomas. The old bastards always found a way to get back at him.

Lyle took his seat next to Velvet and promptly slammed his head down on the desk. The action caused the faunus girl to nearly jump out of her skin. "Lyle what's wrong?" She asked with a voice laced in worry.

"I just don't know how I'm going to take this. I can't be around my mother for the next four years. She'll drive me insane before years end!"

"Don't be ridiculous Lyle. She may not have been the best to you but she is a very capable huntress. If you pay attention then I'm sure you'll learn something useful."

Before Velvet could continue any farther, his mother made her entrance into the room. "Hunters and Huntresses have many ways that they utilize their Auras. Whether it be through the power of rage or through a steely calm. The way we access our Aura is unique to all of us. However, the faunus have always been able to become more in tune with their Auras. They simply must become very close to the beast that resides within them. Very few faunus have been able to merge seamlessly with their inner animal throughout the history of Remnant. However, without exception, any who have been able to complete this task has been among the most legendary of hunters. While I work with the human students I would like the faunus students to try and contact their animal. You may begin."

Lyle thought what she was spouting sounded like a load of bull shit but if it got him out of working with his mother he was up for anything. Who knows, his mother may not be as crazy as she sounded. For several minutes Lyle sat still trying to focus on only his breathing. Eventually though he decided that it wasn't working and opened his eyes. Only when he opened his eyes he wasn't prepared for what he saw. Standing in front of him was the most intimidating animal he had ever seen. It stood level with his shoulder while still on all fours. It had jet black wings folded across its back and had fur as black as night covered in golden symbols that he had no idea what they meant. They eyes were a piercing slit violet. The creature seemed to stare through him like it was analyzing his very being.

In a strange way Lyle seemed drawn towards the creature. "Are you my inner animal? No offense but you don't look much like a wolf."  
The creature snarled at him before it replied. "I am most certainly not one of that contemptible species, As if an animal such as that could be compared to us."

"Us? What do you mean us?"

"You imbecile. I am part of you. We are one in the same."

"So you're my inner animal?"

"No boy, I am no mere animal and neither are you. You are not part animal. You boy are half demon."

"What are you talking about you overgrown hairball. I'm part wolf."

"No you are born of the blood of the Tenebrion. You are the Andras Tenebrion. You are one of the most powerful beings to walk this earth. I am the manifestation of that blood that runs through your veins."

Lyle wanted to argue with the creature but when he really thought about it he found that he couldn't deny what the creature was saying. While it sounded crazy on the surface he had a feeling that the demon in front of him was telling the truth.

"Alright then if what you say is true then why have I not felt you before and why do I have no physical manifestation of what you are?"

"Maybe you aren't so dull boy, the answer to both questions is because you were not ready yet. However, your body has finally come into its peak. When we are done speaking here your body will finally assume its natural human form."

"I guess I can live with that but you still haven't explained what a Tenebrion even is."

"A Tenebrion is a demon of the highest order. It is ancient demon line that has existed since the beginning. They are demons of both love and hate for one cannot exist without the other for balance. You have a great potential for both. There can only be one Tenebrion alive at one time due to their power being passed through the family line. As your father passed his genes to you, you will pass your genes to one of your children. Your father began dying when you started to come into your powers. That is why your father and mother left you. Even though your mother has no idea your father was a demon she left to keep you from seeing the death of your father. While you were given the name Lyle Stark your real demon name will forever be Andras Tenebrion. Our time runs short for now but rest assured that we will meet again."

Just like that Lyle awoke back in the classroom. Once he was aware of his surroundings he bolted for the bathroom feeling sick. Once he made it into the bathroom and locked the door he made his way to the sink. Like a spike had been shoved through his gut he felt an intense pain the likes of which he had never felt before. In the mirror he saw himself as he normally was. Then however in a brief instant his entire being changed until he looked truly demonic. Long three inch fangs slid out from his mouth and gold wings sprung from his back. His skin had changed into the color of night covered in golden symbols and his eyes turned into a slit violet. His hair also turned the color of snow that contrasted the color of his body. The mirrors and sinks in the bathroom began to rattle violently in his presence. Just as quickly as the changes had come they went away. However, Lyle was more sure than ever that he was a demon and he was pretty positive he had just seen his true demon form. To say that he was freaking out would be an understatement. He hadn't even known that demons were real!

He took a deep breath before he headed back to the classroom. When he entered again he saw that Velvet cast him a concerned look as he made his way over to her.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, better than ever" He said with a nervous laugh

"Are you sure? You looked really pale when you got up and left."

"I'm fine Velv. Really I am. Did you have any luck in contacting your inner animal?"

"No not yet, but I was able to feel its presence. I really hope I'll be able to reach it!"

"I'm sure you will Velv. I bet you'll be the only one to reach your inner animal in our class. If anyone can do it, it'll be you." He said being completely honest. Demons on the other hand… Well that was a totally different story.

Soon the bell went off that signaled the end of class. Lyle along with Velvet made their way to Sparring class. Immediately when they entered the room Glynda began the class. While it was fun to watch the fights that were happening in the arena below, He was slowly becoming more anxious for a fight. Not much longer after he had thought that his wish was granted.

"Mr. Avery and Ms. Valkyrie please take the floor"

Once he made it down to the arena he took his time in evaluating the girl across from him. She seemed just a little too hyper to him. Maybe she had too much coffee? Whatever the case he realized that he should take this girl seriously. Not just anyone could carry a hammer that big without being able to back it up with some fighting skill. The buzzer went off that signaled the beginning of the match and they shot off towards each other. He dodged every swing that she sent at him with and ease that surprised the both of them. It felt as if something was whispering in his ear what she was about to do. He felt more alive and aware than he had ever felt before. He began to take the offensive as he continued dodging and landing hits on her pressure points. Eventually when she had slowed down enough he jumped onto her hammer and ran along its length before coming down with an axe kick to her head which almost instantly rendered the girl unconscious. He grinned until he continued hearing the whisperings in his head. _'Blood. Take her blood. Let me Feast' _it chanted growing louder and louder. He didn't snap out of it until he began to feel his fangs slide out from his gums. He forced the whisperings from his head but was still shaken by what had happened. He resolved that he was going to have to be more careful in following his demon instincts from now on.

He was broken from his thoughts when he heard Glynda begin to speak. "That concludes class for today. Mr. Arc please be sure to transport Ms. Valkyrie to the infirmary. Also Team RWBY and Mr. Avery are to report to the Landing Strip immediately. Class dismissed." With that she briskly strode from the room. Lyle arrived at the port only to discover that Team RWBY was already there waiting for him.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"Ruby was excited so she carried us the entire way her." Blake commented dryly while Ruby gave slight nervous laugh

"Alrighty then let's get this show on the road. Places to go and Grimm to kill" He said as he made his way into the airship. He Blake sigh and Weiss huff before they began to follow him. After several minutes of flying over the forest the pilot began speaking over the radio. "Alright we're almost to the destination. Your job is to find and eliminate whatever disturbance has been reported. You will be dropped through the hatch in the floor when we reach the destination which will be in approximately… Now." Not a second after the pilot said that they were dropped from the ship as the floor went out from under them. With a startled yelp that he wasn't all too proud of, he began to plummet towards the fast approaching ground. He had plenty of landing strategies for coming down at an angle but he really had none for coming straight down. Man this was gonna hurt.

Once again however, he heard that strange whispering in his head. He could almost able to make out what it was saying yet it sounded as if it was in a foreign language. As he continued to be entranced by the whisperings, his golden wings extended from his body and slowed his descent until he reached the ground and landed smoothly. Once his feet had touched his wings seemed to fade away yet he knew that he could call them out when he needed them now. They felt as if they were another part of him.

The girls landed beside him and shot him questioning looks. He waved them off however when he sensed something that was coming from the other side of a patch of bushes. He had no idea what it was but he could tell that it was consumed with hatred. That hatred seemed to energize Lyle the closer he got to it. Once he entered the clearing on the opposite side of the bushes, he found what could only be described as a massacre. The bodies of people lay on the ground everywhere. The corpses wore lab coats that seemed to suggest that they were scientists of some kind. In the middle of the clearing stood the last thing that he wanted to see, a Demon. He had no idea how he knew it was a demon other than that his instincts told him. The Demon that stood in front of him had red scales that covered his entire body and pitch black eyes. It looked absolutely viscous. It took one look at Ruby and charged at a speed that most wouldn't be able to follow. Having been caught off guard, Ruby was swatted by the Demon and hit a tree with a sickening crunch. Vaguely Lyle saw Yang charge at the beast with a flaming mane of hair and scarlet eyes. However, Lyle was seeing red. He may not have known Ruby for long but he considered her a friend and one thing that Lyle valued more than anything was his friends. That also meant that when his friends were hurt whoever had caused them harm would be in trouble.

Lyle felt his rage reach a level that he had never felt happen before. He hated the being in front of him to his very core. The demon inside him demanded to be unleashed on his enemy. Lyle was far from opposed to the idea and assumed his true form. Every instinct in him said that he wanted to kill the beast in front of him. He heard the Lesser Demon begin to speak in a language that seemed to personify evil itself. However, somehow Lyle was able to understand what it was saying and inherently knew the language was called Demolyith. "My Lord! I was told the last of the Tenebrion were killed several thousand years ago! It is an honor to meet you."

That only increased Lyle's rage. How dare this insolent creature talk like he knew him? It was nothing more than a piece of trash that had hurt his friend. Lyle growled and began to reply in the same language. "How dare you speak to me as if you are anything more than the vile garbage that you are. Here me now beast, anyone that harms my friends will deal with me the Andras Tenebrion. I will crush whosoever threatens my allies."

That being said, Lyle took off like a bullet and rammed his clawed hand through the creature's stomach. As the light began to fade from the Demon's eyes it spoke once more with a sneer before it died. "You have made an extremely bad decision Andras. My masters will take pleasure in tearing you limb from limb."

Lyle turned around and saw an obviously very shell-shocked team RWBY, sans Ruby, staring at him incredulously. "I'll explain later but for now Ruby is the priority." Lyle scooped Ruby into his arms and flew back towards the school. He landed just outside of the school grounds and ran to the infirmary using his semblance to enhance his speed. Lyle gave Ruby to the nurse who quickly transported Ruby to the ER. Once she was safely through the doors he sat down in the lobby to wait. Suddenly the heat in the room seemed to skyrocket and seconds later Yang burst through the doors in all of her blazing glory. Eventually her crimson eyes rested on him.

"You… have some explaining to do."


End file.
